On June 23, 2026, an event in Zürich showcased the artistic and academic contributions of composer Dafina Zeqiri Nushi, alongside mezzo-soprano Sanije Matoshi and pianist Florita Raifi Ajdini. The evening featured a concert presenting Zeqiri Nushi’s compositions and the launch of her scholarly monograph on timbre in composition.
The concert program included a selection of vocal and piano works by Zeqiri Nushi, performed by Matoshi and Raifi Ajdini. The repertoire featured song cycles such as “Mëngjes,” “Dremit liqeri,” “Ti dhe hëna,” “Në rrugë,” “Malli,” and “Këngë e heshtur,” set to the poetry of Albanian authors Lasgush Poradeci, Ismail Kadare, and Azem Shkreli. Additionally, the program included the solo piano piece “Fantazi dhe fugë” and two songs based on traditional Albanian material, “O bylbyl i mjerë” and “Moj e bukura More.” Notably, several works composed in 2026 received their world premieres during this concert, highlighting the event’s significance in presenting new Albanian musical compositions to an international audience.
The evening also marked the promotion of Zeqiri Nushi’s monograph, “Timbri dhe estetika e ngjyrës: Dimensionet e tingullit në artin e kompozimit” (“Timbre and the Aesthetics of Color: Dimensions of Sound in the Art of Composition”). This publication is the culmination of extensive theoretical, analytical, and creative research into timbre as a complex and dynamic element of contemporary musical language. The study examines timbre not only as an acoustic phenomenon but also as an aesthetic, perceptual, and dramaturgical category, exploring its role in 20th and 21st-century music developments, orchestration transformations, contemporary instrumental techniques, and the construction of a musical work’s artistic identity.
This event underscored the international presence of the University of Prishtina’s Faculty of Arts staff, emphasizing their creative, interpretative, and academic endeavors. The concert and monograph promotion provided a platform for the dissemination of contemporary Albanian music and scholarly work, contributing to the broader discourse on timbre in modern composition.
Composers in the crosshairs of our attention